Rack-level scalable and modular power infrastructure

ABSTRACT

In accordance with the present disclosure, a scalable and modular rack-level power infrastructure is described. The power infrastructure may include a power distribution unit (PDU), which receives alternating current (AC) power from an external power source. The PDU may be coupled to a busbar and output DC power to the busbar. The busbar may be coupled to a server within a rack-server system and provide DC power to the server. Additionally, the infrastructure may include a battery back-up unit (BBU) element coupled to the busbar. The BBU element may charge from and discharge to the busbar.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to the operation of computersystems and information handling systems, and, more particularly, a racklevel scalable and modular power infrastructure.

BACKGROUND

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individualsand businesses seek additional ways to process and store information.One option available to these users is an information handling system.An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores,and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or otherpurposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of theinformation. Because technology and information handling needs andrequirements vary between different users or applications, informationhandling systems may vary with respect to the type of informationhandled; the methods for handling the information; the methods forprocessing, storing or communicating the information; the amount ofinformation processed, stored, or communicated; and the speed andefficiency with which the information is processed, stored, orcommunicated. The variations in information handling systems allow forinformation handling systems to be general or configured for a specificuser or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airlinereservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. Inaddition, information handling systems may include or comprise a varietyof hardware and software components that may be configured to process,store, and communicate information and may include one or more computersystems, data storage systems, and networking systems.

Information handling systems may comprise server systems that aredeployed in racks. The server systems require power to operate, and thatpower may be provided by a power infrastructure at a data center, forexample. In certain instances, the power infrastructure is designedaccording to the power needs of the entire data center. Changing thetype or amount of servers in a single rack, for example, may requirereworking the power infrastructure for the entire data center.Additionally, because the power needs of a data center depend uponcertain operational and environmental parameters of the data center, thepower infrastructure for the data center may require customizedelements. One problem with the customized elements, however, is thatthey can be expensive and increase the deployment time for the datacenter.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the present disclosure, a scalable and modularrack-level power infrastructure is described. The power infrastructuremay include a power distribution unit (PDU), which receives alternatingcurrent (AC) power from an external power source. The PDU may be coupledto a busbar and output DC power to the busbar. The busbar may be coupledto a server within a rack-server system and provide DC power to theserver. Additionally, the infrastructure may include a battery back-upunit (BBU) element coupled to the busbar. The BBU element may chargefrom and discharge to the busbar.

The system and method disclosed herein is technically advantageousbecause it provides a scalable and modular rack-level powerinfrastructure that is operable to receive different types of input ACpower. By outputting DC power to a common rail, such as a busbar, andcoupling power and server elements to the busbar, the powerinfrastructure can be scaled with modular components depending on thepower requirements of the rack-server system. Moreover, the powerinfrastructure can be specifically designed for the needs of aparticular rack-server implementation using modular components,decreasing the design and implementation time for the rack-serversystem, which may decrease the cost of the system. Other technicaladvantages will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art inview of the following specification, claims, and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present embodiments and advantagesthereof may be acquired by referring to the following description takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencenumbers indicate like features, and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows an example rack-level, scalable and modular powerinfrastructure, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows an example power distribution unit, according to aspects ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows a wiring diagram of an example power distribution unit,according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows an isometric view of a chassis of an example powerdistribution unit, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5a shows an example modular power connector, according to aspectsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 5b shows example wiring blocks, according to aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 shows an example battery back-up unit (BBU) system deployablewithin an rack-level, scalable and modular power infrastructure,according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 7a and 7b show an example BBU system deployable within an examplepower distribution unit, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 shows an example rack server system incorporating elements of anexample rack-level, scalable and modular power infrastructure, accordingto aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 shows an example rack server system incorporating a side-mounted,rack-level, scalable and modular power infrastructure, according toaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 shows an example side-mounted, rack-level, scalable and modularpower infrastructure, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

While embodiments of this disclosure have been depicted and describedand are defined by reference to exemplary embodiments of the disclosure,such references do not imply a limitation on the disclosure, and no suchlimitation is to be inferred. The subject matter disclosed is capable ofconsiderable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form andfunction, as will occur to those skilled in the pertinent art and havingthe benefit of this disclosure. The depicted and described embodimentsof this disclosure are examples only, and not exhaustive of the scope ofthe disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For purposes of this disclosure, an information handling system mayinclude any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operableto compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate,switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, orutilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business,scientific, control, or other purposes. For example, an informationhandling system may be a personal computer, a network storage device, orany other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance,functionality, and price. The information handling system may includerandom access memory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as acentral processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic,ROM, and/or other types of nonvolatile memory. Additional components ofthe information handling system may include one or more disk drives, oneor more network ports for communication with external devices as well asvarious input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, anda video display. The information handling system may also include one ormore buses operable to transmit communications between the varioushardware components.

Illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure are described indetail herein. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actualimplementation may be described in this specification. It will of coursebe appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment,numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve thespecific implementation goals, which will vary from one implementationto another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a developmenteffort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be aroutine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having thebenefit of the present disclosure.

Shown in FIG. 1 is an example rack-level, scalable and modular powerinfrastructure 100, in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure. The power infrastructure 100 may be used to power servers inany rack/server environment, such as a data center, or in other serverenvironments, as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in theart in view of this disclosure. The power system 100 may receive ACpower 102 from a power source. In certain embodiments, AC power 102 maybe from a common public power grid at a data center site. As will bediscussed below, the power infrastructure 100 is advantageous because itmay be modular, scalable, and may accept various types of input ACpower.

The AC power 102 may be received at a power distribution unit (PDU) 104.As will be described below, the PDU 104 may include multiple,single-phase commodity power supply units (PSUs), as well as aphase-balancing and distribution configuration that balances powerconsumption across the power phases of the AC power 102. The PDU 104 mayoutput DC power to a common rail, such as busbar 106, which may be keptat a common 12 volt potential. Advantageously, the PDU 104 may bemodular and scalable according to the amount of power required by theservers. For example, in certain embodiments, the PDU 104 may becross-cabled with a second PDU to provide redundant AC input. Theredundant AC input may provide an alternate source of AC input power,such that sufficient DC power can be provided to the rack server systemshould one AC input power source fail. Likewise, the PSUs may be addedor removed depending on the power required by the load.

Busbar 106 may be coupled to server components, such as servers 108 a-n,and power infrastructure components, such as PDU 104, Battery back-upunit (BBU) 110, and DC/AC inverter 112. Busbar 106, for example, may beconnected via cables to servers 108 a-n, and may supply the servers 108a-n with the 12 V DC power supply. Notably, servers 108 a-n may includeDC/DC power supply units instead of AC/DC power supply units common intypical rack servers, or may accept 12 V DC power directly from the 12 Vcommon rail. This may decrease the size, weight, and heatingrequirements of a typical rack-mount server.

A BBU 110 may charge from busbar 106 when AC power 102 is provided, anddischarge to busbar 106 when AC power 102 is lost. As will also bediscussed below, a BBU may also be included inside the PDU 104 within aform-factor chassis similar to the chassis of a commodity PSU. In somedata centers, the entire AC power feed may be conditioned using large,expensive batteries to provide an uninterruptible power system (UPS) toall racks/servers within the data center. By including a battery back upwithin the rack-level power infrastructure, the input power may be feddirectly to the racks and conditioned at the rack-level, and the entireAC power feed may not need to be uninterruptible. This may reduce theneed for an external UPS, reduce the cost of powering the data center,and improve power efficiency.

The power infrastructure 100 may also include AC power outlets, whichmay be useful for rack operation and maintenance. In certainembodiments, a DC/AC inverter 112 may be coupled to the busbar 106. TheDC/AC inverter 112 may receive the common 12 V power from the busbar 106and output AC power via common three-prong electrical connections, forexample. In certain embodiments, AC power outlets may also be includedwithin the PDU 104, as will be discussed below.

FIG. 2 shows a functional diagram of an example PDU 200, in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure. In certain embodiments, the PDU200 may be used in a power infrastructure similar to powerinfrastructure 100 from FIG. 1, with the PDU 200 receiving AC power 250and outputting DC power to busbar 252. PDU 200 may comprise arack-mountable chassis in which the power elements of the PDU 200 aredisposed. The PDU 200 may receive AC power 250 at power cable interfacebox (PCIB) 202. In certain embodiments, as will be described below, thePCIB 202 may include modular components which allowing the PCIB 202 toaccept multiple types of AC power without rewiring by an electrician.These multiple type of AC power may include single-phase, three-phaseDelta, three-phase Wye, interruptible, and noninterruptible, and maycomprise numerous voltages levels, including 110V, 208V, 220V, 230V,240V, and 277V.

AC power 250 received at the PCIB 202 may be connected to a distributionelement 204. The distribution element 204 may represent a wiring schemewhereby phase-balanced power is distributed to power elements disposedwithin the PDU 200. In certain embodiments, distribution element 204 maybe coupled to PSUs 206 a-f via connectors 212-218, 252, and 254,respectively. Connectors 212-218, 252, and 254 may carry phase-balancedAC power to commodity PSUs 206 a-f, which may then output DC power. Inthe embodiment shown, where the distribution element couples to sixPSUs, a three-phase input AC power may be balanced across the PSUs. Forexample, each phase of AC power 102 may be balanced across two PSUs, sothat no phase is loaded with more PSUs than any other phase. In certainembodiments, the distribution element 204 may also provide AC poweroutlets at element 210 via cable 224.

The PSUs 206 a-f may comprise commodity PSUs installed intoappropriately sized slots within the PDU 200. In certain embodiments,the PSUs 206 a-f may couple with and output power through connectors 220disposed within the PDU 104. In certain embodiments, the connectors 220may comprise card slots or other form-factor connectors with pre-definedpin configurations. For example, PSUs 206 a-f may couple with connectors220. The connectors may comprise ATX form factor connectors, or othercommodity connection types that would be appreciated by one of ordinaryskill in view of this disclosure. The PSUs 206 a-f may receive controlsignals from a power infrastructure controller 222 through theconnectors. The power infrastructure controller 222 may also sendcontrol signals to other power elements, as will be described below.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example wiring diagram of PDU 200, as represented,in part, by distribution element 204 in FIG. 2. Although the wiringdiagram is show relative to PDU 200, the wiring diagram may be used inother PDUs, as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in view ofthis disclosure. AC power 250 may be received via a plurality of wiresat PCIB 202, represented by the box around elements 302, 306, and 308.The wires received from AC power 250 may differ according to the type ofAC power 250. For example, in a three-phase power, the wires maycomprise three live wires corresponding to the three phases of the powersupply, as well as a neutral wire (N) and a ground wire (G). The ACpower 250 may be coupled to the PCIB via a first terminal 302. Followingthe first terminal 302, some or all of the wire may be input into awiring block 308, which may be coupled to a second terminal 306. As canbe seen, the wiring block 308 may receive three live wires, as well asthe neutral wire from the terminal 302. The ground wire may be coupledto either Earth ground or electrical ground after terminal 302.

The wires may be output from the wiring block 308 to the second terminal306. The wiring block 308 may arrange the wires received from terminal302 into a pre-determined wiring arrangement at second terminal 306,which corresponds to the wiring arrangement of terminal 310. In certainembodiments, the wiring block 308 may comprise a printed circuit board(PCB) designed for a particular input power type, and interchangeablewithin the PCIB 202 depending on the type of input power 250. Forexample, a wiring block may be dedicated to single-phase, three-phaseDelta, or three-phase Wye power. By swapping the wiring block 308, thePDU can be configured to accommodate a variety of different input ACpower types without an extensive rewiring.

The wiring block 310 may arrange the wires from the AC power into apre-determined configuration. The pre-determined configuration maycorrespond to the ports of terminal 310. For example, in certainembodiments, the terminal 310 may accept wires in a common arrangementfor all AC input types. Accordingly, wiring block 310 may comprise a PCBwhich arranges the input AC wires from within the PCIB 202 to correspondto the wiring arrangement of the terminal 310. Example wiring blocks aredescribed below in FIG. 5 b.

In certain embodiments, some of the wires output from the terminal 310may be fed into a breaker 304. The breaker 304 may comprise circuitbreakers well known in the art, and the live wires may each be connectedto an individual breaker to protect against power surges. Followingbreaker 204, each of the wires output from terminal 310 may be coupledindividually to a dedicated cable, such as wireways 352-362. Thewireways 352-362 may be connected in a staggered configuration withoutlets 212-218 as well as outlets 252 and 254. For example, outlet 212may be coupled to wireways 354 and 362, and outlet 214 may be coupled towireways 356 and 360. Notably, each of the outlets 212-218 as well as252 and 254 may be coupled to a unique combination of two dedicatedwireways. As can be seen, the staggered configuration is designed suchthat each wireway 352-362 is connected to only two outlets 212-218, 252,and 254, and may therefore each be connected to two PSUs. In cases withthree-phase input power, as shown, each phase of input AC power 250,through arranging the AC power wires at the wiring block 308 andterminal 310, and staggering the outlets 212-218, 252, and 254 acrossthe dedicated wireways 352-362, may see a generally equal amount ofpower draw from the load.

In addition to the wireways 352-362, the input AC power may be connectedto relays 312, 314, and 316, which are coupled to switched AC outlets210. As can be seen, each of the relays 312, 314, and 316 may be coupledto two different wires from terminal 310. In certain embodiments, therelays may include mechanical or electrical switches located locally atthe rack, allowing some or all of the outlets 210 to be turned on andoff. In certain embodiments, the relays may be triggered from a remotesource, allowing an administrator, for example, to power up secondaryserver gear without being physically located at a data center site.

FIG. 4 illustrates an isometric view of an example PDU 400 deployed in arack-mountable chassis 450, with a top section removed to betterillustrate the internal configuration. PDU 400 may include a similarwiring diagram to the wiring diagram illustrated in FIG. 3. AC power 452may be received at the PDU 400 through PCIB 454. In certain embodiments,the PDU 400 may include breakers 470, which may in some embodiments beaccessible from the from of the PDU 400. In the embodiment shown, PCIB454 may be detachable, and may connect with the PDU 400 through adetachable interface 490, as will be described below with respect toFIG. 5a . The PCIB 454 may connect with a terminal 456 integrated intothe PDU 400 via the detachable interface 490. In certain embodiments,the AC power 452 may then be phase balanced and distributed toconnections 458-468 and switchable connections (not shown), as describedabove with respect to FIG. 3. Notably, each of the connections 458-468may comprise common three-prong power cables that are either integratedinto the PDU 400 or are connected at one end to the outlets integratedinto the PDU 400 and at the other end to an outlet disposed on acommodity PSU installed within one of Slots 1-6. The slots 1-6 may besized to accommodate commodity PSUs. In other embodiments, depending onthe form factor of the PSUs, other numbers of PSUs, such as 9 or 12, canbe incorporated into the PDU to achieve a higher power total. In suchembodiments, with, for example, a three-phase AC input power, thedistribution wiring would need to be modified such that each of thephases supplies the same number of PSUs. In three-phase powerapplications, PSU numbers in a multiple of three is preferred tomaintain balance.

Each of Slots 1-6 may be similarly sized, elongated cuboid openings andmay accept a similarly sized form factor, commodity PSU. PSUs may beinserted through the front opening, adjacent to the connectors 458-468,and pushed into the PSU. In certain embodiments, a connector at the backof the PSU may engage with a connector disposed at the back of eachslot, Slot 1-6, opposite the front of the PDU. The connectors 402-412may comprise card slots that engage with a form-factor card protrudingfrom the back of each PSU (not shown). Each form factor card, forexample, may have the same pin-out configuration, receiving controlsignal from a power infrastructure controller, such as powerinfrastructure controller 222, and outputting power through the samepins. In certain embodiments, the connectors 402-412 may comprise otherconnectors well known in the art, such as ATX form factor connectors, aswould be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art in view of thisdisclosure. The connectors 402-412 may be coupled to a busbar (notshown), such as busbar 106 from FIG. 1, through which the PSU may supplyDC power to servers within a rack structure. The PDU 400 may alsocomprise a power infrastructure controller 470 integrated into the PDUstructure and communicating at least with the PSUs coupled to the PDUthrough connectors 402-412.

FIG. 5a illustrates an example detachable PCIB 500, similar to the PCIB454 in FIG. 4, which incorporates a detachable interface 502 and allowsfor insertion/coupling and removal/decoupling of power from a PDU. Incertain embodiments, when the PCIB 500 is inserted into the PDU, thePCIB 500 may be secured to the PDU body to maintain ground contact. TheAC power configuration in current data centers varies based severaldifferent parameters, including current rating, such as 20, 30, or 50amps; phase number, such as single or 3 phase; cable length; voltage,such as 208V, 220V, 240V, or 277V; and configuration, such as Wye orDelta. This results in a very large number of potential powerconfigurations, leading to a long lead-time to build custom solutions tospecific customer needs. By providing a detachable and modular PCIB thatattaches to a PDU with a universal interface, the PDU can bemanufactured as a modular unit with a pre-determined interface to thePCIB, with the interface being common to all PCIBs. The PCIB can then becoupled to power sources of any type—including the power types mentionedabove as well as High Voltage DC—and connected to the common interface.This allows the PDU to accept any power type without the PDU having tobe reconfigured or rewired. Rather, the configuration is limited to, forexample, the wiring block in the PCIB.

As can be seen, the detachable PCIB 500 may comprise a rectangular bodysection coupled to the AC power 550. In certain embodiments, thedetachable PCIB 500 may be coupled to AC power 550 via terminal 504 inthe body section before the detachable PCIB 500 is inserted into a PDU.In the embodiment shown, the detachable PCIB 500 includes terminals 504and 506. In certain embodiments, a detachable PCIB may include elementssimilar to the terminals shown in FIG. 3. In addition, the detachablePCIB 500 may include a wiring block 520, positioned between terminal 504and terminal 506. The wiring block 520 may comprise a PCB and mayarrange the power from AC power 550 into a pre-determined outputconfiguration corresponding to the detachable interface, similar towiring block 308 described above. The detachable interface may, forexample, include a pre-determined pin configuration, and the wires fromthe AC power 550 may be arranged to correspond to the pre-determined pinconfiguration of the detachable interface. The type of wires and powercoupled to each pin may be common across all types of AC power, suchthat the detachable PCIB 500 can be coupled to a PDU through, forexample, an integrated connector 560, and the PDU would accept AC powerfrom the detachable PCIB 500 without having to be modified at all.

In certain embodiments, such as the embodiment shown in FIG. 5a , a sixpin detachable interface 502 may be used to connect any single-phase,and various three-phase AC power feeds to the PDU via an integratedconnector 560 with the power earth or power ground, directly connectedto the PCIB 500. The six-pin interface 502 and the integrated connector560 may include complementary pin configuration, ensuring that thecorrect wires from the AC power are connected to the correct terminal inthe PDU. Each of the pins of the six-pin interface may be usedregardless of the input-power type. By utilizing the six-pinconfiguration in a universal way, the PCIB 500 and wiring block 520 maybe designed in a modular fashion, decreasing the cost and the deploymenttime.

In certain other embodiments (not shown), an eight-pin interface may beutilized, consisting of the six-pins described above as well as a PG pinand an input voltage identification pin that indicates, for example,when an input voltage is 277V. The PG pin may connect the power or earthground through the PDU, while the input voltage identification pin maybe used to differentiate a high input AC voltage, such as 277V, fromother lower input AC voltages. The PDU may respond to a signal on theinput voltage identification pin, indicating for example a 277V inputvoltage, by automatically disabling at least one power element in thePDU. In certain embodiments, the PDU may disable switchable outlets atthe PDU to protect any device connected to the switchable outlets frombeing exposed to the high voltage, while still proving power to PSUsdisposed within the PDU. As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skillin the art in view of this disclosure, each pin of the interface 502 isnot required to be in use for all power types. Rather, for single phasepower types, for example, some of the pins may not be used.

Advantageously, a detachable PCIB such as PCIB 500 in FIG. 5a may allowfor a modular power infrastructure design that couples to an AC powersource through a common interface on the detachable PCIB instead ofhaving to be rewired to accommodate different power types. Additionally,the detachable PCIBs may be Underwriters Laboratories (UL) approved,meaning that the AC power can be coupled to the detachable PCIB on site,and then coupled to the power infrastructure without requiring anelectrician.

FIG. 5b shows example wiring block configurations for three-phase Deltainput power, three-phase Wye input power, and single phase input power.As can be seen, each of the example wiring blocks arranges the inputpower into a universal six wire output that may interchangeablycorrespond, for example, to the pre-determined wiring arrangement at aPDU. The three-phase Delta power input, for example, may include threeinput wires, A, B, and C. The wiring block may arrange the wires suchthat six wires—A1, B2, B1, C2, C1, A2—are output from the wiring block.The three-phase Wye power input, for example, may include four wires, A,B, C, and N and the wiring block may be arranged to provide a six wireoutput—A, N, B, N, C, N. The single phase power input, for example, mayinclude two wires, L and N, and the wiring block may be arranged toprovide a six wire output—L, N, L, N, L, N. Notably, in each example,the wiring block may outputs a six wire arrangement. Each wiring blockmay be used interchangeably in a PCIB, for example, with the correctwiring block being selected for the type of input power. The wiringblock output may then be coupled to a terminal within the PCIB whichcorresponds to an input terminal at the PDU. The configuration may beadvantageous because configuring the input power may be accomplishedapart from the design of a PDU, simplifying the design and allowing formodularization.

Returning to FIG. 1, a BBU, such as BBU 110, may also be included withinthe power infrastructure, receiving DC power from a busbar to charge theinternal batteries, and outputting DC power to the busbar when the ACpower source fails or is lost. FIG. 6 illustrates an example BBU system600 which may be sized similarly to a rack server, and mountable withina rack using tabs 618, positioned at the front to the BBU system 600. Incertain other embodiments, such as the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7a and7b , a BBU system may be disposed within the PDU.

The BBU system 600 may include at least one battery 610 within a batterydrawer 650. The battery 610 may comprise multiple types, includingLithium Polymer and valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA), and the BBU system600 may receive and store power at multiple voltage levels, including18V, 48V, and 240V-400V DC. In addition, the BBU system 600 may compriseredundant batteries. The battery drawer 650 may be open at the front ofthe BBU system 600, allowing the batteries 610 to be easily accessed andinterchanged for maintenance and other operational conditions. Incertain embodiments, the battery 610 may be hot-swappable. The battery610 may be electrically coupled to power modules 602 via connector 612.The power modules 602 may comprise multiple power modules, for examplesix or eight power modules, depending on the amount of power input tothe BBU system 600. The power modules 602 may be coupled to a DC busbar,such as busbar 106 from FIG. 1, via busbar connector 604, and also maybe coupled to a ground return via busbar connection 606. The powermodules 602 may act as a power conversion and regulation device whichconverts generally variable battery voltage to a regulated voltage onthe 12 V common rail in discharge mode, and vice versa in charge mode.The power modules 602 may also be configured to accommodate variable DCinputs, such as The power modules 602 may be in parallel operation withcurrent or load sharing.

The power modules 602 may cause the battery 610 to either be charged bythe input DC power from busbar connector 604, or discharge DC power to abusbar through busbar connector 604. In certain embodiments, the BBUsystem 600 may receive at a power module controller 614 a control signalthrough a PDU interface 608. The control signal may come from a powerinfrastructure controller, such as power infrastructure controller 222,and may indicate, for example, that the PDU has lost AC power. Thecontrol signal may comprise, for example, a simple network managementprotocol (SNMP) signal. The power module controller 614 may respond tothe control signal by issuing a control command to the power modules602. If the PDU is receiving AC power, for example, the power modules602 may cause the BBU to be in a charge mode, where the DC power fromthe DC busbar is used to charge the battery 610. If the PDU is notreceiving power, for example, the power modules 602 may cause the BBU tobe in a discharge mode, where the battery 610 outputs power to the DCbusbar. The BBU system 600 may further include an emergency power off616, which functions as a kill switch to the BBU 110.

In certain embodiments, the BBU system 600 may further communicatebi-directionally with a power controller, such as power infrastructurecontroller 222, to allow for power capping during battery usage as wellas to allow the server system, or an administrator accessing the serversystem, to have information about the BBU system 600. The informationmay include information used for power management, including, but notlimited to, battery state, battery health, battery capacity, and batterytemperature. Additionally, the BBU system 600 may communicate with apower controller to allow for both passive and active power sharingbetween the power infrastructure and the BBU system 600. For example, apower controller may communicate with the BBU system 600 to vary theamount of power used by the BBU system 600 to charge battery 610.

Although the BBU system 600 is shown with busbar connections 604 and606, receiving for example a 12 V DC input power, other configurationsare possible. For example, BBU system 600 may receiver power from a PDUthrough a cable instead of a busbar. Additionally, instead of 12 V DCinput power, the BBU system 600 may receiver a higher voltage level DCpower, such as 48 V or up to 400V, through an additional connector (notshown). Other configurations would be appreciated by one of ordinaryskill in the art in view of this disclosure.

In certain embodiments, a power infrastructure, such as the powerinfrastructure in FIG. 1, may include a BBU element within the PDU,either alone or in addition to a rack mounted BBU, such as BBU system600. FIG. 7a shows an example BBU system 700 incorporated into aform-factor chassis 704 similar to a commodity PSU described above.Notably, chassis 704 may be sized to fit within a commodity power supplyunit (PSU) slot in a power distribution unit (PDU), such as Slot 1 inFIG. 4, instead of a commodity PSU.

As can be seen, BBU system 700 includes an example form-factorconnector, connector card 706, protruding from the back of the chassis704. This connector card 706 may comprise a pre-determined pinoutconfiguration that matches the pinout configuration of a similarly-sizedcommodity PSU, so the BBU system 700 is swappable with a commodity PSUwithin the PDU. In certain embodiments, the connector card 706 maycoupled to a card connector within a PDU, such as connectors 402-412 inFIG. 4. In addition to the connector card 706, the chassis 700 mayinclude form-factor alignment and latching mechanisms 702 similar to acommodity PSU.

FIG. 7b shows an example configuration of a BBU system 700 with one sideof the chassis 704 removed. As can be seen, the BBU system 700 comprisesa battery 708 and a power module 710, with the battery 708 coupled tothe power module 710 via cable 712. The BBU system 700 may furtherinclude a power module controller 714 coupled to the power module 710.In certain embodiments, control signals and power may be receivedthrough pre-determined pins on the card connector 706. The modulecontroller 714 may receive the control signals can cause the powermodules to charge the battery 708 with the received DC power or tooutput power from the battery 708 through the card 706.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example rack server system incorporating aspectsof an example modular and scalable power distribution system, accordingto aspects of the present invention. The rack server system includes arack 800, populated with server systems 802, a PDU 804, a busbar 806, aDC/AC inverter 808, and a BBU system 810. The PDU 804 may receive ACinput power 812 via detachable PCIB 814. Multiple single-phase,commodity PSUs, such as PSU 816 and 820 may be installed into slotswithin PDU 804, receive phase-balanced AC power from the PDU over, forexample, connectors 818, and output DC power to busbar 806 via cable852. In certain embodiments, the PDU 804 may for example, furthercomprise a BBU system deployed within the PDU 804 instead of PSU 820,sized similarly to the single-phase, commodity PSU 820, and whichreceives power from and outputs power to the busbar 806.

Additionally, a BBU system 810 and a DC/AC inverter 808 may also becoupled to the busbar 806. The BBU system 810, for example, may besimilar to the BBU system 600 in FIG. 6, and may comprise a battery slot822, and an emergency power-off 824. The BBU system 810 may also includepower modules (not shown) that cause the BBU system 810 to eitherreceive power from busbar 806 or output power to busbar 806 via cable850. Likewise, DC/AC inverter 808 may receive DC power from the busbar806 via cable 840. The DC/AC inverter 808, however, may provide ACoutput power at common three-prong power outlets, allowing commonnetworking equipment to be powered without an additional AC input lineand in cases when the AC input fails or is lost.

Each of the servers 802 may receive DC power from a PDU 804 or BBUsystem 810 via busbar 806. Each of the servers may accept external 12 VDC power, instead of AC/DC power supplies common in most serverapplications. In instances where the AC input power 812 is lost, BBUsystem 810 may output power onto the busbar 806, powering servers 802and inverter 808 until AC input power 812 can be restored. As would beappreciated by one of ordinary skill in view of this disclosure, thefigure illustrating system 800 is simplified. In a physicalimplementation, additional connections would be included to each of theservers, and such connections may include additional power equipment,such as wires, cables, busbars. Additionally, each system may havemultiple 12 V power domains, with different 12 V busbars, that can beeither stand-alone or interconnected.

In certain other embodiments, a scalable and modular powerinfrastructure similar to the infrastructure shown in FIGS. 1 and 8 maybe deployed outside of used rack space. In FIG. 8, for example, spacewithin rack 800 is used for the power equipment, decreasing the servercapacity. In certain embodiments, the power infrastructure may bedeployed outside of usable server space within the rack. FIG. 9 shows anexample unpopulated rack 900. The rack, for example, may includemultiple compartments 904, each of which may be fully populated withservers. Side-car chassis 902 containing modular and scalable powerinfrastructure may be mounted to the side of the rack 900, preservingusable rack space.

FIG. 10 shows an example configuration of a modular and scalable powerinfrastructure 1000 deployed in a side-car chassis 1050. As can be seen,the power infrastructure 1000 may receive AC input power 1002 at a PCIB1012. In certain embodiments, the PCIB 1002 may include a modular wiringblock, such as wiring block 308 above, or may be detachable, similar toPCIB 500 from FIG. 5a . In certain embodiments, power infrastructure1000 may comprise phase-balancing and distribution circuitry similar tothe wiring diagram in FIG. 3. PSUs 1006 may be installed within theside-car chassis 1050 through an opening or power supply unit slot atthe front of the side-car chassis 1050, and may receive pluggable ACpower. Each of the PSUs 1006 may be coupled to a busbar 1010, viaform-factor connections 1052 within the side-car chassis 1050.Advantageously, the number of PSUs, and total output power, may bescalable by inserting additional PSUs within the infrastructure 1000.Likewise, the infrastructure may be modular by accepting commodity PSUsvia the form-factor connections 1052.

The busbar 1010 may be partially disposed within the chassis 1050 andmay provide power to servers within a rack. In addition, the powerinfrastructure 1000 may include a BBU disposed within the chassis 1050,similar to the BBUs described above. The BBU may include a hot-swappablebattery 1004, which may be installed through the front of the side-carchassis 1050, and connect with connector 1054. The BBU may also includepower modules and a power module controller 1008, and may cause thebattery 1004 to either charge from the busbar 1010 or discharge power tothe busbar 1010. Additionally, the power infrastructure 1000 may includeAC power outlets 1014 to power equipment for the rack/server system.

Therefore, the present disclosure is well adapted to attain the ends andadvantages mentioned as well as those that are inherent therein. Theparticular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as thepresent disclosure may be modified and practiced in different butequivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having thebenefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, no limitations areintended to the details of construction or design herein shown, otherthan as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that theparticular illustrative embodiments disclosed above may be altered ormodified and all such variations are considered within the scope andspirit of the present disclosure. Although the present disclosure hasbeen described in detail, it should be understood that various changes,substitutions, and alterations can be made hereto without departing fromthe spirit and the scope of the invention as defined by the appendedclaims. Also, the terms in the claims have their plain, ordinary meaningunless otherwise explicitly and clearly defined by the patentee. Theindefinite articles “a” or “an,” as used in the claims, are definedherein to mean one or more than one of the element that it introduces.

What is claimed is:
 1. A rack-level power infrastructure, comprising: apower distribution unit (PDU), wherein the PDU receives alternatingcurrent (AC) power from an external power source; a busbar coupled tothe PDU, wherein the PDU outputs direct current (DC) power to thebusbar; a detachable power cable interface box (PCIB) coupled to thePDU, wherein the PCIB comprises modular components that allow for thePCIB to receive multiple types of AC power without requiring a re-wiringof any connections to or from the PDU; a first terminal within the PCIBfor receiving one or more wires associated with the AC power; adetachable interface coupled to the first terminal; a swappable wiringblock within the PCIB coupled to the first terminal, wherein the wiringblock arranges one or more wires output from the first terminal into apre-determined wiring arrangement for output to a second terminal withinthe PCIB, wherein the pre-determined wiring arrangement corresponds to awiring arrangement of a third terminal; at least one server coupled toand receiving DC power from the busbar; and a battery back-up unit (BBU)element coupled to the busbar, wherein the BBU element charges from anddischarges to the busbar and wherein the BBU comprises a connector cardthat couples with a card connector of the PDU.
 2. The rack-level powerinfrastructure of claim 1, further comprising a DC/AC inverter coupledto the busbar.
 3. The rack-level power infrastructure of claim 1,wherein the PDU includes a plurality of single-phase, commodity powersupply units (PSU).
 4. The rack-level power infrastructure of claim 3,wherein at least the PSUs and BBU element are deployed outside of usableserver space within the rack.
 5. The rack-level power infrastructure ofclaim 3, wherein the PDU balances the current drawn from the phases ofthe input AC power.
 6. The rack-level power infrastructure of claim 1,wherein the BBU element is disposed within the PDU.
 7. The rack-levelpower infrastructure of claim 1, wherein the BBU element is deployed ina rack-mountable chassis outside of the PDU.
 8. The rack-level powerinfrastructure of claim 1, further comprising: a distribution elementcoupled to the PCIB, wherein the distribution element comprises a wiringscheme that distributes phase-balanced power to one or more powerelements disposed within the PDU.
 9. The rack-level power infrastructureof claim 8, wherein the PDU is operable to receive AC input power of atthe least types of single-phase, three-phase Delta, three-phase Wye,interruptible, and noninterruptible.
 10. A method for providing arack-level power infrastructure, comprising: providing a powerdistribution unit (PDU), wherein the PDU receives input alternatingcurrent (AC) power; coupling the PDU to a busbar, wherein the PDUoutputs DC power to the busbar; coupling a detachable power cableinterface box (PCIB) to the PDU, wherein one or more modular componentsof the PDU allow the PCIB to receive multiple types of AC power withoutrequiring a re-wiring of any connections to or from the PDU; receivingone or more wires associated with the AC power at a first terminalwithin the PCIB; coupling a detachable interface to the first terminal;coupling a swappable wiring block within the PCIB to the first terminal;arranging by the wiring block one or more wires from the first terminalinto a pre-determined wiring arrangement for output to a second terminalwithin the PCIB, wherein the pre-determined wiring arrangementcorresponds to a wiring arrangement of a third terminal; coupling atleast one server to the busbar, wherein the at least one server receivesDC power from the busbar; coupling a battery back-up unit (BBU) elementto the busbar, wherein the BBU element charges from and discharges tothe busbar; and coupling a connector card within the BBU with a cardconnector of the PDU.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprisingcoupling a DC/AC inverter coupled to the busbar.
 12. The method of claim10, wherein the PDU includes a plurality of single-phase, commoditypower supply units (PSU).
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein at leastthe PSUs and BBU element are deployed outside of usable server spacewithin the rack.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the PDU balancesthe current drawn from the phases of the input AC power.
 15. The methodof claim 10, wherein the BBU element is disposed within the PDU.
 16. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the BBU element is deployed in arack-mountable chassis outside of the PDU.
 17. The method of claim 10,further comprising: coupling a distribution element to the PCIB;distributing by a wiring scheme of the distribution elementphase-balanced power to one or more power elements disposed within thePDU.
 18. The method of claim 10, wherein the PDU is operable to receiveAC input power of at least the types of single-phase, three-phase Delta,three-phase Wye, interruptible, and noninterruptible.
 19. An informationhandling system, comprising: a processor; a memory element coupled tothe processor; a direct current (DC)/DC power supply coupled to theprocessor, wherein the DC/DC power supply receives power from arack-level power infrastructure, wherein the rack-level powerinfrastructure comprises: a power distribution unit (PDU), wherein thePDU includes a plurality of single-phase, commodity power supply units(PSU) disposed in slots within the PDU; a detachable power cableinterface box (PCIB) coupled to the PDU, wherein the PCIB comprisesmodular components that allow for the PCIB to receive multiple types ofAC power without requiring a re-wiring of any connections to or from thePDU; a first terminal within the PCIB for receiving one or more wiresassociated with the AC power; a detachable interface coupled to thefirst terminal; a swappable wiring block within the PCIB coupled to thefirst terminal, wherein the wiring block arranges one or more wiresoutput from the first terminal into a pre-determined wiring arrangementfor output to a second terminal within the PCIB, wherein thepre-determined wiring arrangement corresponds to a wiring arrangement ofa third terminal; a busbar coupled to the PDU, wherein the plurality ofsingle-phase, commodity PSUs included in the PDU output DC power to thebusbar; a battery back-up unit (BBU) element coupled to the busbar,wherein the BBU element charges from and discharges to the busbar andwherein the BBU comprises a connector card that couples with a cardconnector of the PDU; and a DC/AC inverter coupled to the busbar. 20.The information handling system of claim 19, wherein the AC powerinterface box is operable to receive AC power of at least the types ofsingle-phase, three-phase Delta, three-phase Wye, interruptible, andnoninterruptible.